On August 24, 2020 ImmunoGenesis reported that it has been awarded a $15.5 M grant from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) to advance development of IMGS-001, the company’s dual specific Checkpoint Inhibitor and Tumor Microenvironment (TME) remodeling agent. IMGS-001, through its mechanism of action, has the potential to provide superior blockade of the PD-1 pathway and clear out immunosuppressive elements in the TME (Press release, ImmunoGenesis, AUG 24, 2020, View Source [SID1234564032]). This ability to remodel the TME to a more immune supportive environment is believed to be a critical factor in facilitating efficacy in immunologically "cold" cancers such as prostate, colorectal and pancreatic cancer.

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"We are extremely excited that CPRIT recognized the therapeutic potential of our novel dual specific checkpoint inhibitor antibody, IMGS-001, with the awarding of a Product Development Grant," commented ImmunoGenesis Founder, Dr. Michael A. Curran. "Compared to existing immunotherapy drugs, we believe this antibody will both provide more consistent benefit for patients with immune-infiltrated tumors, and, for the first time, will also benefit patients with immune ‘cold’ cancers."

"IMGS-001 is the keystone asset of our therapeutic platform – it has been rationally designed to improve cancer treatment outcomes through modification of the tumor microenvironment," said ImmunoGenesis CEO and President, James Barlow. "Dr. Curran created this next generation checkpoint inhibitor with multi-tasking ability to both provide superior PD-1 pathway blockade and also eliminate immunosuppressive cells. As a result, we believe IMGS-001 will represent a superior foundation of efficacy, particularly in tumors that have not been responsive to current immunotherapies – this efficacy can then be further enhanced through rational combinations."

The award underscores CPRIT’s mission of supporting novel research. IMGS-001 is based on discoveries made by the laboratory of Dr. Curran at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and the Oncology Research for Biologics & Immunotherapy Translation (ORBIT) platform, part of MD Anderson’s Therapeutics Discovery division. The technology was licensed to ImmunoGenesis in 2019. Dr. Curran’s financial relationship with ImmunoGenesis is managed and monitored by the MD Anderson Conflict of Interest Committee.

Dr. Cindy WalkerPeach, Chief Product Development Officer of CPRIT, said "Dr. Curran is a previous recipient of CPRIT funding for research in his lab and CPRIT is thrilled to now fund this exciting company which was founded by Dr. Curran and has the potential to have a significant clinical impact across a wide range of cancers."

ImmunoGenesis is headquartered in Houston and the CPRIT award allows the company to further build-out its management team and corporate infrastructure in the medical community. James Barlow commented "ImmunoGenesis is excited to be a part of an increasingly vibrant biotech community in Houston and Texas, in general."

On August 24, 2020 Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TSE:4502/NYSE:TAK) ("Takeda") reported that it has entered into an agreement to divest Takeda Consumer Healthcare Company Limited ("TCHC"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Takeda focused on the consumer health care market primarily in Japan, to Oscar A-Co KK, a company controlled by funds managed by The Blackstone Group Inc. and its affiliates (collectively "Blackstone") for a total value of JPY 242.0 billion* (Press release, Takeda, AUG 24, 2020, View Source [SID1234564033]). Blackstone is one of the world leading investment firms and has extensive investment experience in the health care sector. The transaction is expected to close by March 31, 2021, subject to customary legal and regulatory closing conditions.

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The portfolio to be divested to Blackstone includes a variety of over-the-counter ("OTC") medicines and health products that generated total revenues of over JPY 60 billion in fiscal year 2019. TCHC’s strong regional brands include Alinamin, its top selling product and Japan’s first vitamin B1 preparation, and Benza, a cold remedy. Blackstone intends to develop the business together with current TCHC management and continue to employ its employees.

Christophe Weber, Takeda President and Chief Executive Officer said, "Today’s transaction will provide TCHC with the ownership, resources and strategic focus to continue to thrive and meet the needs of customers, while further sharpening Takeda’s strategic focus and commitment to financial discipline and transforming science into life-changing medicines. TCHC played an important role in Takeda’s long history, but with our growth strategy now focused on five key business areas – Gastroenterology (GI), Rare Diseases, Plasma-Derived Therapies, Oncology and Neuroscience – and an increasingly competitive consumer health care market in Japan, the ownership transition will benefit both TCHC and Takeda. We are confident that under Blackstone, TCHC will be well-positioned to continue growing and developing its product offerings in the years to come to address the evolving needs of consumers."

Takeda, which started TCHC as a separate business in April 2017 to further develop the consumer health care business in Japan, is now focused on highly innovative medicines across its five key business areas and working to address significant unmet patient needs in these fields. Under Blackstone’s ownership, TCHC will benefit from increased strategic focus, resources and agility to support the growth and development of its important brands and to rapidly respond to evolving market conditions and diverse customer needs.

The sale of TCHC supports Takeda’s divestiture program which is focused on optimization of its portfolio to align with its global long-term growth strategy and provide uninterrupted access and supply of critical products to patients. So far in 2020, Takeda has also agreed to divest three different non-core asset portfolios in the Asia Pacific, Europe, and Latin America regions. In June, Takeda agreed to divest a portfolio of non-core assets sold exclusively in the Asia Pacific region to Celltrion for up to $278 million USD; in April, Takeda announced the sale of non-core products in Europe to Orifarm Group for up to approximately $670 million USD, including the sale of two manufacturing sites in Denmark and Poland; and in March, Takeda announced the sale of non-core products in Latin America to Hypera Pharma for $825 million USD, as well as completed the previously announced sales of non-core assets spanning the Russia-CIS region to STADA and in countries spanning the Near East, Middle East and Africa region to Acino.

On August 24, 2020 PEEL Therapeutics reported that Researchers have modified a derivative of a plant toxin and linked it to a nanocarrier to create a powerful new therapeutic for childhood tumors (Press release, PEEL Therapeutics, AUG 24, 2020, View Source [SID1234564025]). The new drug and its ability to eliminate chemoresistant tumors in mice is described in a new study published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper). An exclusive license to develop the drug has been obtained by PEEL Therapeutics, Inc.

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Scientists from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) have been testing the new cancer drug for several years in the laboratory to understand its potential to treat the most aggressive of childhood tumors. The drug is a derivative of camptothecin, a toxin isolated from the bark and stem of Camptotheca acuminata (Camptotheca, Happy tree) used for thousands of years for cancer treatment in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Camptothecin poisons cancer cells and has been chemically modified to make chemotherapies like irinotecan and topotecan, drugs used today to treat childhood solid tumors, pancreatic and colorectal cancer. CHOP researchers worked with a pharmacologically enhanced camptothecin derivative called SN22. Their newly engineered drug is made from multiple SN22 molecules reversibly linked to a biocompatible carrier fully eliminated by the body after delivering its payload. In preclinical studies, this new drug accumulates in tumors 50 to 100 times more than irinotecan without causing toxicity or eliciting chemoresistance.

PEEL Therapeutics, a USA-Israeli biotech company, has licensed the new drug from CHOP to prepare an Investigational New Drug submission to the FDA. As highlighted in the paper, the engineered SN22 produced remarkably long-term remission in 80 to 100% of mice with drug-resistant tumors including neuroblastoma, Ewing sarcoma, and rhabdomyosarcoma. Many tumors completely disappeared after 4 doses and remained undetectable for over 6 months without ever returning. The CHOP study published in Cancer Research demonstrated that the drug is protected from enzymes that inactivate camptothecins and unaffected by cell transporters that pump out chemotherapies from cancer cells. Importantly for children, the paper describes that the engineered drug appears to have a better safety profile with less toxicities than irinotecan.

PEEL Therapeutics CEO and Co-Founder, Dr. Joshua Schiffman, is a pediatric oncologist and expressed excitement for PEEL’s involvement with this new drug. "At PEEL, we look for therapies inspired by evolution. The SN22 nanoparticle is the perfect example of a drug at the intersection of nature and technology. The increased delivery and decreased toxicities of this drug may offer very important advantages to patients with solid tumors, including children and adults."

PEEL Therapeutics, Inc. is an emerging biotech that delivers evolution-inspired medicines to improve patient lives. The PEEL pipeline originates from assets inspired by the evolution of elephants, plants and humans for the treatment of cancer and inflammatory diseases, including COVID-19. PEEL is supported by private investors and philanthropic charities including Closer To Cure Foundation, Animal Cancer Foundation, and Soccer for Hope Foundation. The company is located in Salt Lake City, Utah and Haifa, Israel.

On August 24, 2020 Sihuan Pharma reported its innovative drug subsidiary, Xuanzhu Biopharma, completed a $116 million Series A round financing from SDIC (Press release, XuanZhu Pharma, AUG 24, 2020, View Source [SID1234564024]). SDIC will own 18.6% of Xuanzhu, which is valued at $624 million. Sihuan said Xuanzhu is differentiated from other startups by having complete drug R&D capability along with the parent company’s production and commercialization support. The company has two candidates in late-stage trials: birociclib, a CDK4/6 inhibitor for advanced breast cancer and janagliflozin, an SGLT2 inhibitor for diabetes.

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On August 24, 2020 Merck reported that it is set to spend £1 billion ($1.31 billion) on a new unifying early research hub in England’s capital city (Press release, Merck & Co, AUG 24, 2020, View Source [SID1234563991]).

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The new hub, which will bring together staffers from across the region to a central hub in London, will be the company’s first early-stage R&D center outside of its native U.S. The focus will be on diseases of aging, predominately in neuroscience, an area with high risk but major unmet need.

Merck had made moves to create the hub back in 2017, a year after the U.K. voted to leave the EU, and was hailed by politicians as a positive investment.

It has been somewhat delayed, given how tight space is in London (the same issues New York has with lab space) and it wanting to be in the life sciences hub by the Francis Crick biomedical research institute in north London. Merck, known as MSD in Europe, already has a major five-year neuro R&D pact with the Crick Institute.

It will be called, quite simply, the London Discovery Research Centre, and it should be up and running by 2025, with work starting late next year, should it cut through the red tape. On top of the moving scientists and staffers from its other areas into the center, it also expects to create about 120 new jobs for scientists and technicians.

In all, it expects to employ 800 people at the 25,000-square-meter site and to spend £1 billion all told on the hub.

"We currently view the U.K. as a world leader in developing science, driven by the long-term emphasis on building a strong research and development infrastructure," said David Peacock, MSD managing director for the U.K. and Ireland, speaking to the Financial Times.